San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich wins duel with former understudy — Utah’s Quin Snyder

San Antonio • There was a curious thing on Quin Snyder’s face seconds after his team faltered in a gutty 124-120 loss on Friday night.

A smile.

It wasn’t for the game’s result, but it was for the victor of the game, Gregg Popovich, who came over to embrace him after the two coaches and two players threw everything they had at one another for 53 minutes.

As the TV cameras trained on Popovich, the mentor, and Snyder, the mentee who made good, at least two words could be made out from Snyder’s mouth: “Good job.”

The stakes were high for both the Spurs and the Jazz, and so it wouldn’t be right to say Snyder was having fun. Not when LaMarcus Aldridge was making shots on his defense left and right, and when Manu Ginobili was muscling in the post for rebounds and layups, defying his age again.

He said he enjoys the competition, but Pop hardly makes it enjoyable in the moment.

Popovich could’ve said the same. The Spurs had their hands full with Donovan Mitchell, whose fourth-quarter flurry made it close. While Aldridge was hitting shots, the Jazz weren’t making it easy with tough contests.

He doesn’t expect anything less, however, from Snyder, who earned respect in the NBA as a D-League coach in the Spurs organization. Popovich called it “a great game both ways” and said the Jazz “execute better than anybody I’ve seen all year.”

Asked earlier in the night if Snyder deserved NBA Coach of the Year, Popovich was emphatic: “Hell yes.”

“I was just talking to him, and he was telling me what a good job he’s been doing all year. So I said, ‘OK I agree with you,’” Popovich joked. “But really, he’s been remarkable. He’s such a creative coach. He knows his stuff. That doesn’t make him very unique but his creativity does.”

That creativity was not enough in the series finale between the two teams, with the Jazz finally taking their first loss in four meetings this season. Snyder may have smiled at the end, but he’s not looking forward to another one.

“He’s been as influential in my life as anyone, so it’s an honor to be out there,” Snyder said. “I think our team conducted themselves like we belonged. The competition is fun, but nothing fun about the matchup.”